Individuals that immigrated to the Washington D.C. area or elsewhere across the country are protected and afforded certain rights. If these rights are infringed upon, there could be recourse. In many instances, if an individual that immigrated to America has their rights infringed upon, an attorney can assist that individual in finding justice in the wrongs enacted against them.
One of the rights afforded immigrants is the freedom from employment discrimination on the basis of citizenship or immigration status. Unless there is an exception where the law, a regulation or a government contract provides for this distinction in employment, if an employer engages in such an act, they are in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
It appears that an out-of-state health care staffing company was engaging in discriminatory practices by advertising a biased toward hiring individuals that were foreign-trained in pursuit of permanent residence or visa sponsorship. This action is illegal and discriminatory. Reportedly, the employer produced hundreds of advertisements that did not hide this bias.
Accordingly, the Department of Justice has ordered that the company must now pay a fine of almost $30,000 to rectify this situation. In addition, the company will also adjust their recruitment practices so as to avoid engaging in discriminatory behavior. The company will also be willingly supervised by the Department of Justice for three years in an effort to be held accountable for these recruitment adjustments.
While an immigration attorney can assist an individual seeking to secure permanent citizenship based on immigration for employment, an attorney can also assist such an individual in ensuring that their rights are upheld and that they are not subjected to discriminatory practices.
Source: HR.BLR.com, “Florida firm to pay $27,750 for discriminatory job postings,” March 15, 2013
- Our firm has experience assisting individuals in related pursuits in the Washington D.C. are. For more information, please refer to our page on employment-based immigration.